Physics 4602/5602: The Physics of Elementary Particles
Winter 2017

Professor Alain Bellerive
Carleton University
alainb [at] physics.carleton.ca

What is particle physics?

Particle physics addresses the challenging questions: What are the fundamental constituents of matter? How do they interact? The smallest objects observed so far - quarks, leptons, and gauge bosons - behave in a manner that we can now describe in great detail. Yet, in spite of tremendous progress in this field, many fundamental mysteries remain. What is the origin of mass? Why do neutrinos appear to have very tiny masses? Why is there a three-fold replication of a basic set of particles (the generation puzzle)? Are quarks truly elementary particles? Why are some conservation laws violated by a narrow class of processes? Why is there much more matter than antimatter in the universe? Is there, as theorists predict, an undiscovered supersymmetric partner for every known type of particle?

To make progress in the study of elementary particles, one needs sophisticated experimental and theoretical tools. We use accelerators of monumental size to produce particle collisions at energies that are equal to those shortly after the big bang. We routinely collide matter with antimatter, destroying the initial particles and creating new ones. The detectors that we use to study these collisions are nearly as impressive. Underground, undersea or under the ice, we develop detector arrays to trap elusive particles. Here at Carleton, the particle physics group is very active in constructing such detectors and in analyzing the results of experiments that we perform at various accelerators and underground laboratories.

The theoretical tools required to analyze elementary particle phenomena are also extremely interesting and challenging. Nearly all processes involve phenomena that must be described with relativistic quantum mechanics. Theories must also cope with the fact that, in high-energy collisions, particles are usually created or destroyed. In other words, we don't simply smash two watches together and observe the little pieces come flying out, entirely new pieces are created! We have come to understand that the "new" particles observed in such experiments are every bit as fundamental and important to piecing together the puzzle of matter as the particles that make up atoms. The theoretical framework for describing these processes is called quantum field theory.

In Physics 4602/5602 we will make a start towards understanding the nature of elementary particles and their interactions. We will present basic introductory ideas and historical views, which will lead to experimental methods, conservation laws, and invariance principles. Consequently, we will deal with the fundamental interactions between leptons & quarks and discuss unification of the various interactions. We can go quite far without using the full apparatus of quantum field theory. We will, however, need to use special relativity and quantum mechanics routinely.

Some Advice on How to Succeed in this Course

This course will be different from many of your upper division physics courses. You may find it hard to keep track of all the new terminology and ideas. Here is some advice on how to deal with it

1. Keep up with the reading and do the homework on time. Take careful notes when you read the textbook and bring lots of questions to class. Come to office hours to get mysterious concepts clarified!
2. Remember information: constants, particle names and quantum numbers, masses, lifetimes, as much as you can. You may be used to solving idealized problems that are simply meant to give you insight into applying a particular physical law.
3. Here things are different: you need to learn and understand the properties of real physical systems. In order to understand why certain observations are crucial, you must be able to put the information into context. Without the background information in your head, you will have a hard time understanding this context. Creating your own mental database also helps you to develop physical intuition in a subject that is very unfamiliar.
4. How to proceed: The course will be presented in formal lectures on the blackboard and will not follow the reference manual in exact order. Hence the student will have two complementary descriptions of particle physics: 1) one by the professor in the lecture notes, and 2) one by reading the reference book of Griffiths.
5. Remember the main results of homework problems. Many of the problems will address important issues; they are not simply cooked-up examples. Use the assignments as a way to summarize the formal lectures and the concepts described by Griffiths.
6. Graduate level: Graduate students registered to 5602 will have extra problems for each assignment and will be asked to cover more material.

Homework, Tests, Grades, and Course Plan

• Homework: One every week, due IN CLASS 7 days after it was assigned: Assignment policy

• Extra material:
  • Introduction to the Standard Model
  • Particle Properties for leptons, mesons, baryons, and bosons
  • Neutrino History
  • Clebsch-Gordan coefficients
  • Open Questions in Particle Physics

• Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday 11:30

• Location: TBD

• Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10:30 (or via appointment).

• Grading Policy:
  1. Homework = 35%
  2. Midterm = 25%
  3. Final = 40%
      
• Textbook: Introduction to Elementary Particles [2nd, Revised Edition], by David Griffiths
  ISBN: 978-3-527-40601-2 (Paperback)
   
• Midterm date: TBD [in class]
   
• Final exam date: TBD

Course Outline for Winter 2015

• Graduate Level 5602:
  It will be required, for graduate students only, to perform trace calculations (c.f. section 7.7 of Griffiths) in their final assignment (take home). Students registered in 5602 will be asked to cover in more detail Chapters 7, 8, and 10. Be aware so be prepared!

• References:
• Introduction to Elementary Particles, by D. Griffiths [required]
• Modern Particle Physics, by M. Thomson [complementary]
• Introduction to High Energy Physics, by D.H. Perkins [complementary]
• Particle Physics, by B.R. Martin and G. Shaw [lower level]
• Quarks and Leptons, by F. Halzen and A.D. Martin [more advance]

Academic Policies: LINK

Midterm Demo 4602 (PDF) - Midterm Demo 5602 (PDF)

Final Demo 4602 (PDF) - Final Demo 5602 (PDF)

Assignments:

1. Assignment #1 (to be posted)

Passing Condition

Missing test or assignment must be accounted for, usually by bringing in a Doctor’s note. Students must obtain a minimum of 20 out of the 60 marks available for assignments and midterm. Term work resulting in a mark less than this is "not satisfactory". Students are expected to attend all lectures. A deferred final exam replaces only the final exam portion of the marks and students must have completed satisfactory term work as explained above to be eligible. Deferred exams are generally only granted to students who cannot take the regularly scheduled exam due to illness.

The following percentage equivalents apply to all final grades at Carleton:

Academic Accommodation

You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term. For an accommodation request the processes are as follows:

Pregnancy obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details see the Student Guide.

Religious obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details see the Student Guide.

Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: The Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) provides services to students with Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/mental health disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), chronic medical conditions, and impairments in mobility, hearing, and vision. If you have a disability requiring academic accommodations in this course, please contact PMC at 613-520-6608 or pmc@carleton.ca for a formal evaluation. If you are already registered with the PMC, contact your PMC coordinator to send me your Letter of Accommodation at the beginning of the term, and no later than two weeks before the first in-class scheduled test or exam requiring accommodation (if applicable). Requests made within two weeks will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. After requesting accommodation from PMC, meet with me to ensure accommodation arrangements are made. Please consult the PMC website (www.carleton.ca/pmc) for the deadline to request accommodations for the formally-scheduled exam (if applicable).